by Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports

by Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports

One of the toughest teams in the Western Conference just became more dangerous.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night (7 ET), three-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook will be in the lineup after receiving clearance from team doctors, the team announced in a news release Sunday afternoon.

"Russell Westbrook has gone through a methodical rehab process jointly created by our medical and performance teams and treating physicians," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in the release. "The process has been instrumental in getting Russell to this point and has included various physical and medical benchmarks. The final benchmark being unrestricted basketball activity. After hitting the necessary marks, all parties, including the team, consulting physicians, Russell's representatives, and most importantly Russell, jointly determined that returning to play was the correct next step."

Westbrook suffered a tear of the meniscus in his right knee during Game 2 of the Thunder's 2013 first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. He missed the remainder of the postseason after undergoing surgery, and was expected to return for the start of training camp. However, Westbrook underwent a second surgery in October after a loose stitch was discovered that created swelling in his surgically repaired knee.

Westbrook averaged 23.2 points. 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals a game in 2012-13. His return will have a major impact on the Thunder and the Western Conference playoff race as a whole.